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Sunday, June 7, 2015

Bronx Zoo Part III: Aquatic Birds and Birds of Prey

The Sea Bird Aviary at the Bronx Zoo is home to many species, but the most numerous are Magellanic penguins and these Inca terns, which have been given artificial cliffs for roosting and nesting on.

Nearby is the Aquatic Bird House. Despite its name, not all the birds exhibited here are waterbirds, but most of them are. This laughing kookaburra is one of the exceptions: although a kingfisher, it preys mainly on terrestrial animals.

A brown kiwi. This is a major milestone in my zoogoing experiences, as after multiple failures at the San Diego Zoo and National Zoo, I saw a kiwi at last!

Some tufted puffins.

A black oystercatcher and some common and/or Forster's terns (both species were present in the exhibit and I cannot tell from my picture which ones I have photographed).

Outside were a series of fairly standard (design-wise) bird of prey enclosures. This is a cinereous vulture on its nest. Additional barriers had been put up in front of this exhibit, preventing visitors from getting too close and disturbing the nesting birds.